The Solomon Islands National Women’s Team have made history by qualifying for the OFC Women’s Nations Cup final for the first time, after a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Samoa in the semi-final at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva tonight.
Samoa took the lead early in the 14th minute through Breanna Kitiona.
However, the Solomon Islands responded quickly, with captain Ileen Pegi equalising with a spectacular strike inside the 18-yard box.
Lorina Solosaia then put the Solomon Islands ahead after capitalising on a lapse in the Samoan defence, giving the “Solo girls” a 2-1 lead heading into the break.
Samoa came out strong in the second half with wave after wave of attacks but were unable to break through the resilient Solomon Islands defence.
Speaking after the match, head coach Moses Toata expressed his pride in the historic achievement, acknowledging the hard work behind the team’s success.
“It’s not easy to come this far. I think of all the hard work we put into preparing this team, and to all the people back home who are watching and expecting us to reach the final and we delivered tonight,” Toata said.
Reflecting on the early setback in the match, Toata praised his players for their discipline and execution.
“I think we had a really good game plan, and the girls executed exactly what we talked about just before going into the match,” he added.
Toata also thanked the Solomon Islands supporters both at home and the local USP student community in Fiji for turning out in numbers to cheer the team on.
The Solomon Islands will now face defending champions Papua New Guinea on Saturday in what promises to be an exciting and historic final.
By TIMOTHY INIFIRI JNR
